Show and Tell

Our Hope, Our Help, Our Shield... and... Hugs & Kisses

Today is Sunday, February 12. We went to Bojangles for breakfast (as we do every Sunday), to church, and then back home where  we've been ever since. I tend to be a homebody anyway so it's good for me. Ken is an on-the-go type of person so he gets a little restless. But that's nothing a little cleaning out of the refrigerator can't solve. (Yes, that's one thing he did today.)

Here is what my Bojangles biscuits looked like this morning.

I love going there around Valentine's Day. I think it's cool that they put the extra effort into making their blueberry biscuits heart-shaped. That's pretty special for a fast food restaurant, don't you think?

 

Today we have more encouragement from the Psalms.

Psalm 33:20-22

"We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone."

I've been feeling a little tired and discouraged today. Not bad. Just a little. Certainly not unusual for a person in my situation. Actually, not unusual for a person period. I guess it's just part of life. However, when you have been confronted with a life-threatening illness, every little twinge causes you to ask yourself, "what is that?" "is my tumor growing?" etc. It's a little annoying, really.

But when I get discouraged, the words of these verses help to sustain me. My hope is in the Lord. He is my help. He is my shield. My heart rejoices because I know Him. I trust His Holy Name. He gives me unfailing love. My hope is in Him alone. It's hard to NOT praise the Lord when you read verses like this one!

 

Here are a couple more Valentine cards. 

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The plan is that these will be the last of the Valentine cards. I mean, I have to get them in the mail soon if there's any hope of them arriving by February 14!

I had extra flowers cut after my last die cutting episode, so I used them to make this card. Some of the flowers on the first card are actually connected. This was not my pIan and I was going to throw them away and then decided that they were usable, kind of like the old chain paperdolls. I hate to throw things away. :)

AND TELL:  stamp is Papertrey Ink (Heart Prints); cardstock is PTI (Kraft); patterned paper is Pebbles (with Love: Be Mine); ink is PTI (True Black) and Stampin' Up (Riding Hood Red); pearls are SU (Basic Pearl); also used dies from PTI (Beautiful Blooms II #3), miscellaneous ribbon trims, and vintage sheet music.

I guess that's all for tonight. I started this post HOURS ago and am just now finishing. I really should get more efficient. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with more — I have something in the works. Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and Kisses to you!

Honor to His Name... and... XOXO

Today is Saturday, January 28. I'm feeling quite a bit better today. And that's good because I don't do sick well. I'm pretty much a wimp who likes things comfortable at all times. Obviously, these days are a bit of a challenge to me. But so many people have it so much worse — and I try to keep that in mind. I may have a brain tumor but I'm still incredibly blessed.

 

I think I'll do some of our beach photos at the end of this post. But, now we'll go right into the daily scripture.

Psalm 23:3-4

"He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me."

I think just about everyone must be familiar with the 23rd Psalm. It's been a great source of comfort for many people through the ages. I mean... how could you not be comforted by the words, "He renews my strength"... especially when you're feeling week. And I'm sure everyone must feel week from time to time. I know that I do. How reassuring it is to know that the Lord is right beside you, protecting, comforting, and guiding you?  

 

When we went to the beach last weekend, I took a limited number of craft supplies with me... some precut patterned paper, four coordinating stamp pads, a couple of stamp sets, and a few miscellaneous items. It was a bit of a challenge to limit my supplies, but I was able to squeak a few cards out... like the ones I showed you yesterday, the ones I'll show you tomorrow, and these two.

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I often like to make two similar cards using the same layout but different papers or stamps. This is an example of that. It means that I'm able to turn out a couple cards relatively quickly, but I don't get bored doing the exact same thing over again.

And, I think I mentioned that I'm trying to use the patterned paper that I can't seem to stop buying. This is a great layout for using that paper up. It's a 4"x4-1/2" piece of patterned paper with a little stamping and embellishment at the bottom. Quick and easy. And pretty good looking, too. :)  

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Heart Prints); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); patterned paper is My Mind's Eye (Lime Twist: Life of the Party Sweet Bon Bon, Fine and Dandy: Tickled Pink Delicate); ink is Stampin' Up (Blushing Bride, Regal Rose) and Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used fiber I bought in NYC over a year ago but can't remember the specifics and PTI's heart die. 

So I thought I'd share a few photos from our first day at the beach. In Ocean Isle the garages or carports are on the ground level and the living spaces are above.

Pretty, aren't they?

You can probably tell that not many people go to the beach during the winter in North Carolina.

We have friends who own a condo in Ocean Isle and graciously offered it to us for the weekend. (Thanks, Ron and Teri!) The condo is about one block inland from the watertower (to the right in the photo).

You can see that the weather was a little cloudy. My favorite. :)

The people you see here are about the only ones who were on the beach besides us. I love that. I'm not fond of a crowded hot beach.

You can see that I'm wearing my son's band jacket from high school. Those things are warm! It may not look so great, but that's OK. The beach (in winter at least) is not a fashion show. I love that.

I also love pictures of the sun as it's going.

The sun casts such fun shadows.

I always wanted long legs. :)

And that night  we went into the town for dinner.

They gave us fresh bread with garlic butter and I ordered a crab cake, sauted vegetables, and garlic mashed potatoes. All was delicious. 

For me it's been a day of watching HGTV. Ken and I did take a walk in the afternoon. Just one, though. It was all I could force myself to do. Since I've felt so much better today, though, maybe tomorrow I'll feel like doing a bit more. We'll hope so.

I've been really struggling with nausea over the last couple of days, so this afternoon I broke down and took the anti-nausea pills that the doctor prescribed for me months ago. I'm not sure why I didn't take them earlier. It really doesn't make since to deny myself something that could be making me feel better. I guess I just get tired of pills being shoved at me. Even vitamins. Blech.

Well, that's it for today. I feel like I'm kind of ending on a downer. Really, things are going pretty well around here. And tomorrow they'll be going even better, I'm sure. :) Thank you so much for stopping by for a little visit. I hope you'll be able to come back tomorrow. See you then!  

Come quickly to my aid... and... Bitty Bird Valentine

Today is Friday, January 27. I felt fairly good this morning so I went to work. My main concern is that my mobility doesn't seem to be as good as it has been over the past few weeks. That's kind of a bummer and sends my mind to all kinds of places where I probably don't need to go. Then the office was pretty busy at work today and I neglected to eat lunch. So, on the way home from work I started nibbling on the sandwich I had brought with me — and pretty much immediately started vomiting. Yuck. I've felt better this afternoon, but still not great. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Let's talk about something more pleasant... like last week when Ken & I went to the beach. We had not visited Wilmington before so we had no idea how charming it is...

 with spired churches and beautiful old homes.

We found a charming old building in the historic district that housed a restaurant...

I chose the "s'mac 'n' cheese" and a cup of fresh fruit for lunch. Perfectly delicious!

So that was the first part of our day on Friday. I'll show you some more next time.

 

Here is some scripture for today.

Psalm 22:19

"O Lord, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!"

Well, this is a very appropriate verse for today... today when I started out feeling good, but then went downhill pretty sharply in the afternoon. I need the Lord. I need His strength. I need Him to help me — and quickly, would be my preference. I'm finding out that I'm not as patient as I once thought I was.

So, Lord, please don't hide from me. Please don't stay so far away. You have always been my strength and my help. Settle my stomach and come quickly to my aid!   

 

Well, with Valentine's Day coming up, I decided to get a headstart on some cards.

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I love that bitty bird stamp set from Papertrey Ink. The bird is just so perky and happy looking.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Little Bitty Bird, Heart Prints); cardstock is PTI (Vintage Cream, Stampers Select White); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye/Lime Twist: Life of the Party Sweet Bon Bon, My Mind's Eye/Stella Rose: Gertie Girly Lace); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used Copics (RV32, RV14) and PTI Bitty Birds die.

I think that will be it for today. Hopefully I'll be better tomorrow because right now I'm still feeling pretty crummy. Thank you for your visits and your prayers!     

Live!... and... Delicate Doilies Recipe Card

Today is Sunday, December 11. And what you see above is a teaser for what's (way) below. Yesterday was stamp club and I like to give a little preview of the project that I made to swap at the beginning of my stamp club post. Gotta keep you intrigued. Can't have you cutting out early, you know? :)

We had a precious time of worship at church today. We don't normally have a choir, but over the past few weeks the worship ministry has put together a choir of volunteers from the congregation and it was just such a blessing to worship with a diverse group and different musical styles. I just love my church!

On the medical front, I thought I'd let you know that we decreased the steroids by one more milligram today. So starting today, I'm only take 2mg. I took one this morning around breakfast time and will probably take the other while we're watching The Amazing Race tonight. So far, so good. I definitely can tell that I "need" something (probably more psychological), but I haven't gotten all wacky yet so I'm thinking that this is going to go well and that pretty soon I'll be able to completely stop taking them. Considering that at the beginning of this journey I was taking 16mg a day, this is very good. 

 

So, let's go right into some scripture. These are the verses that jumped out at me today. They're not all consecutive, but they are all of the same theme.

Amos 5:4b, 6a, 14a, 15a, 24

"'Come back to me and live!... Come back to the Lord and live!... Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!... Hate what is evil and love what is good;... I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.'"

From these words in the Old Testament it's pretty clear that the Lord desires for us to be close to Him. He longs for a relationship with us and that relationship will give us life.

In order for us to get the most from our relationship with the Lord He exhorts us to hate what is evil, love what is good, and live righteously. As far as hating evil, it may be significant to note that He doesn't say to hate those who do evil... He says to hate the evil. I've heard people say to hate the sin, but love the sinner. I think that can be pretty difficult at times, but this is how we show people God's love... by loving them when they are not very lovable to us. Most people will eventually respond to love and kindness, so as Believers we need to make sure we are consistently displaying those attributes in our lives — then as people respond to God's love, a flood of righteous living will spread across our land. And how cool would that be?

 

 

So yesterday was the Christmas party of the Stampin' Up club that I'm a part of. Oh, my. What fun! Our swap for December is recipe cards — and then we each make our item and bring it to share. I've given you this recipe on the blog before and we make this dish regularly at our house, but I've never made a recipe card for it. Seemed like it was high time to do so.  

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This casserole has been part of our Thanksgiving Day meal for years... ever since some friends brought it to share with us one holiday when they were in town for a soccer tournament that their son was playing in. So — we've had it every Thanksgiving since then. We also usually take it to a neighbor's 4th of July party. And to just about any other carry-in meals that come up. It's so easy to make and so yummy that it's the perfect dish for just about any occasion.

I'm kinda of diggin' the stamping that I did on this card. I really like the neutral colors and the design. My original plan was to embellish some of the lace images with buttons, twine, and silk ribbon, but when I started playing around with the idea it just wasn't working for me. And, I'm glad. Because I really like the simplicity of what I ended up with. And it won't be all bumpy in someone's recipe card file. :)   

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Delicate Doilies); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream); ink is SU (Crumb Cake, River Rock, Sahara Sand).

Would you like to see the other dishes from Stamp Club?

These are Kelley's (White Chili) and Kathy's (Deviled Egg Dip). 

 Then we have Rita's (Buffalo Chicken Dip) and Judy's (Queso Enchildas).

Then we have Sheri's (Creamy Pumpkin Mousse) and mine (Grandma's Company Corn). 

And finally Cherie's two desserts (The Best Canadian Butter Tart and Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle).

And, I'll tell you, everything was as delicious as it looks. After dinner we moved to Judy's beautiful living room...

and exchanged gifts. We each bring, as Judy says, "the best $5 stamp you can find".  We wrap our offerings up, they're numbered, and we draw numbers to determine which gift we get. (Hopefully, that makes sense.) In coming days I'll show you the gift bags that I made for Kris and my exchange stamps.

And here is our whole group...

 Well, our whole group minus Kris who took the picture. It was such a fun evening with tons of laughter... just the way a holiday gathering should be.

Well, I think that will have to be it for tonight. Thanks so much for stopping for a visit. I love hearing from you and will look forward to talking with you again tomorrow. Sending you lots of love!

He hears my voice... and... many thanks

Today is Thursday, November 17. I've gotta tell you... I'm having a bit of trouble getting started on this today. Just not in the mood, I suppose. If history holds true, however, once I get going I'll keep going and going and it'll turn into some long-winded thing where you'll think, "Is she every going to stop talking?!" haha. I'm such a paradox sometimes. :)

This morning we got going a little earlier than usual and Ken took me up to the preschool for the monthly staff prayer breakfast — my first one of the school year. Prayer breakfast used to be my responsiblity, but the staff has really stepped up and kept things going so well that I think they don't really need me. :) (And, that's a good thing!) But it was so nice to sit in the church dining room with my co-workers, eat the delicious food (we take turns signing up to bring food... one main breakfast-type dish, one sweet item, and some fruit), and listen to the devotional that was graciously provided by a lady from the church who I hadn't met before (and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know a bit!). It was a great way to start the day.

A couple of our staff members are big stampers (like me...) and one of them has taken it on herself to create a favor (I guess you'd call it) each month. Here is the one that we received today...

So cute, right? Of course, the snack mix is great... but having the little note about what each item represents elevates it to extra-special status in my book. (Great job, as usual, Sheri!)

 

My Bible is absolutely overloaded with underlined verses from today's listed passages in my Change Your Life Daily Bible. (I've been using this particular Bible since 2005, I think, so it's pretty marked up by now.) Today I'm choosing to share with you from the Psalms.

Psalm 116:1-2

"I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!"

I know without a doubt that God hears my prayers. I have had instances in my life where I have no sooner uttered a prayer than the Lord has answered. Of course, that doesn't always happen — but it doesn't mean that the Lord doesn't hear. I think it probably means that He is still working on something in me and by not giving me a response right away I'm "forced" to continue to seek Him and His will for me. So, yes. As the Psalmist wrote... "I will pray as long as I have breath!" 

 

Here is another card that I made to add to our food-delivery stash. 

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I had actually stamped and cut the coffee cup some time ago for another project and ended up not using it, so this became a super-fast and easy card to make. And, I'm always glad when I can use something out of my big bowl of pre-stamped, but unused, items! 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Warm Happiness Too, Fillable Frames #1); cardstock is from the office store and also a touch of PTI's Vintage Cream; ink is Stampin' Up (Sahara Sand, Pumpkin Pie, River Rock); also used PTI's Warm Happiness die.

Now that will be it for today. I really appreciate you stopping by for a visit. And, even more so, I appreciate your prayers as I step down from the steroids yet again. It's amazing to me how just 1mg seems to make a big difference — and it makes me wonder if the "funny-ness" that I feel is just a mental thing that's all in my head. Well, no matter. So far, I'd say that it is all going OK and I'm thankful for that! Thanks again for the prayers that you continue to offer up on our behalf. As I've said many times before... you're the best! 

bend down and hear my prayer... and... thank you for your kindness

Today is Monday, October 17. I'm going to try to get back on schedule with the blog posting today. Funny how easy it is to get off track... and then to get kind of lazy about the whole thing. Hopefully I'm not so out of practice that it takes me until after dinner time to get this done!

The weekend was fairly uneventful health-wise. The last couple of days my legs have seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. Not sure what that means. I've been told that steroids can make your legs weak so maybe that's it. I have been on steroids for quite a long time now — I guess well over two months. Tomorrow my dose is being reduced again so perhaps that will help. Hard to say. In the past reducing the steroids has has made me very nervous because at times it is accompanied by confusion and the inability to think clearly. But that hasn't happened for a long time so I'll just pray and trust. :)

So, Saturday was a special day. We celebrated my birthday at King's Kitchen — maybe my new favorite place to eat. Britt was here and her in-laws drove in from the eastern part of the state. Our "adopted daughter" Brittany came to eat with us and Kenneth was able to work it out to surprise us all by arranging his work schedule a bit for a quick trip to Charlotte. I'm very touched that both Kenneth and his parents would spend a total of six or so hours on the road just to have a birthday meal with us!

I know that some of you like to check out the cuisine and this time it was just good ol' southern food... biscuits and cornbread...

... and, of course, southern fried chicken...

with a few sides — mashed potatoes and gravy, cole slaw, macaroni and cheese for me. (In southern speak, that is called meat and three — from the menu choices you select a meat and three vegetables... down here, macaroni and cheese is a vegetable. :) ) Looks pretty good, doesn't it?

And here we all are...

my mom, Kenneth's dad Eddie, Kenneth's mom Jackie, Kenneth, Britt, me, Ken, and our adopted daughter Brittany. After dinner we briefly separated and the out-of-towners went on a little walking tour of uptown Charlotte, while Ken and I drove past a couple of my favorite Charlotte spots. I'm hopeful that one day I'll be able to get out of the car and enjoy a stroll through the city again.

 

Well, it's been awhile since we looked at some scripture together. 

Psalm 86:1-4

"Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you."

This was actually a passage from yesterday's scripture reading, but I decided that I needed it today because today has been a little tough. I'm tired. I'm crabby. My right side is kind of numb and my foot is pretty swollen. I'm not very good company at the moment; I don't even want to be with me.

So at times like these I just have to focus on scripture and make it my own. Today I'm begging the Lord to hear my prayers and answer me because I desperately need His help. Lord, I'm devoted to You — protect me! Save me because I trust You and I serve You! You are my God — be merciful to me! I call on You constantly, Lord; don't tire of hearing from me. Give me happiness, Lord, because I am devoted to You. 

This is making me a little teary today. You know how sometimes you just need a good cry? I'm thinking that maybe this is one of those times for me. And I know that if I give in and cry that as soon as it's over I'll feel better. And, really, I have so much to be thankful for. I know that the Lord loves me and is with me. I know that, no matter what, He will always be with me. But, I also know what I want — and what I want is to be healed right now. What I want is to be able to live a normal life. What I want is to be happy. So, I'm begging the Lord to bend down and heal me so that I can continue to serve Him. I'm praying that the Lord sees fit to answer my prayer. 

 

Maybe something crafty will lift my spirits a little. Here are a couple of cards that I made to add to the stash to give to those precious people who are bringing us food.

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I made two cards with this set — one multi-colored and one monochromatic. Such a simple card... especially the monochromatic one.

 

 

 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Iconic Images); cardstock is inexpensive white; ink is Stampin' Up (Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Certainly Celery, Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Basic Gray).

I have more that I could share, but I think I'll stop there today. After all, it will be after 5:00 when I get this posted and I'm kind of in the mood for some mindless TV watching. 

Thanks so much for suffering through with me today. Let's hope that tomorrow will be a better day. I really appreciate your visit and, especially, all of your prayers.

Don't Live in Dread... and... Cupcake Birthday

Today is Sunday, September 11, 2011. The 10 year anniversary of 9/11. Did anyone else see the beginning of the Bears-Falcons game? Wow. The guy that sang the national anthem really attacked it and, I for one, loved it! Well, I'm assuming the crowd did, too, because they cheered for the entire song... beginning to end. Beautiful stuff for a patriotic football fan! :)

I felt pretty great upon waking up this morning — always an encouraging sign. Five minutes from right now (which will be 2:00) I take the first reduced dosage steroid pill of this reduction go-round... and I'm pretty optimistic that this will be OK. At least, I'm trying to be. Our son is also flying home from his three weeks in Tennessee this afternoon, so that's exciting. I'm thinking that going to the airport with Ken to pick Ian up will be a good thing and a distraction for me — to keep me from thinking about what may or may not be happening in my head. So I'll do that, too. And, then, at 4:15 the Panthers football game is on. We will, of course, be glued to the TV for that. :) So — with all that activity, I'm hoping that this step-down in dosage goes without a hitch. (I'm sure I'll be giving you an update later down in the post — as there's no way that I'll be getting this done in the next 10 minutes before we leave to pick up the boy!)

 Here's some scripture for today. It is still — even after years of reading through a daily Bible — amazing to me how often scripture that is so, so appropriate for the day comes up. From the Old Testament for this time:

Isaiah 8:11-14a

"The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, 'Don't call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don't live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven's Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe....'"

Now — isn't that an encouragement for the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11? I mean... we don't have to live in fear and dread. We don't even have to think of the attacks as a conspiracy. Instead, we simply trust the Lord... make Him holy in our lives... fear (respect) Him. He is the One who keeps us safe! Sure — our world is a scary place. Bad stuff happens and there are people who have no regard for the lives of others. But, as one of our pastors pointed out this morning, Paul (in the Bible) started out as Saul who was persecuting and killing Christians. He ended up a foundational leader in the Church. So — we shouldn't count anyone out or give up on anyone. We are to love people to Jesus. And love is what will win them over. That's something to think about today, isn't it?

 

Moving on... 

It's time for a special birthday card now. This one is for a young woman that we refer to as our "adopted daughter". We met met Brittany during her senior year of college — 2005-2006 — but didn't really begin to become acquainted with her until she took the plunge and moved to Charlotte after graduation. It's a pretty cool story, we think, but probably too long to go into here. Suffice it to say, that the Lord definitely brought us together and has since knitted our families together — and it's been a beautiful thing!

So — today is Brittany's birthday... and here is her card.

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Adding a bit of colored cardstock to the inside seems to be working for me these days. Putting it on a nice shape adds even more interest. So to the right you can see the inside of Brittany's card.

I really, really wanted to buy a fancy cupcake to give to her, too, but with stamp club yesterday and then going out to dinner with her family, well — she "only" got a VISA gift card. Maybe she was happy to forego the calories for some shopping cash. :)

So — here is a picture of our dinner group.

You have Ken, me, Krista (Brittany's mom), Brittany the birthday girl, Sarah (Brittany's good friend who flew in for the occasion), and Mike (Brittany's dad). We had dinner at The King's Kitchen... a restaurant with a higher calling: the profits feed the poor in Charlotte and around the world and the restaurant provides employment for people who need a new start. Very cool concept — and the food is delicious. If you're near Charlotte and haven't been, I highly recommend it (and the fried chicken... :) ).

And here Ken & I are with the birthday girl...

You can't really tell that I have a pretty large bald spot, can you? Maybe I've perfected the come-over. :) But, I don't plan to rely on it... I think I'll start using the scarves, the wig, and hats... or just exposing my scalp, because I can be a bit lazy... 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Crazy for Cupcakes, Create a Cupcake); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White) and SU (Pink Pirouette); patterned paper from my very old stash; ink is SU (Pink Pirouette, Barely Banana) and PTI (True Black); also used a PTI die (Double-ended Banner) and an SU embossing folder (Square Latice), die (Lots of Tags Labels 1), and punches (Scallop Edge, Cupcake).

I mentioned that we were heading to the airport to pick up our son...

well... he arrived! I think that he's thrilled to be home after being gone for three weeks — but exhausted, too. We took him straight to his apartment and I supposed he's already asleep. He's definitely my child for whom sleep — and lots of it — is very important! 

Today I also thought it would be a good idea to start covering my bald patch with something besides a come-over when I go out.

This was today's look. Not too bad, I guess. But I think I may need to start wearing my contacts again because having my glasses squished against the side of my head is definitely not comfortable. By the time our football game came on I decided to just go with the bald patch. I don't think Ken or Roxy the dog cared. :)

And maybe that's enough information for today. It's after 6:00 now and so far so good with the steroid reduction. I know there are still many more hours to go, but I feel good so — yay and thank you, Lord! And thanks to you for all the prayers! (And please continue...)

Have a great rest of your day and I plan to be back here again tomorrow... so I'll "see" you then. Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit — I appreciate it so much!

Back to School

Today is Tuesday, September 6. The first day of preschool for our students. The littlest kids have a shortened day for the first week... just 9:30 to 11:30 (we call it the easing-in schedule). And two hours is plenty for them. And for the teachers, too, since many times there are a lot of criers -- especially in the toddlers and younger 2 year olds. The 4 and 5 year olds have their full day of school -- which is really just a half-day... 9:30 to 1:15. They eat lunch at school. (In case you're wondering about the 3 year olds, they do the shortened day for the first week, too.)

So -- it's now 9:30 a.m. I'm here at home praying over the first day of school. I'll be going to work after the little kids are gone today... so around 11:45 or so. I decided that too much activity (and crying) may not be good for me. Yes. I'm wimping out a bit. Or, I guess we can just say that I'm easing back in, too. I'll let you know how it goes. I probably won't be staying very long... I have a radiology treatment at 1:50 (or something like that) and will, of course, need to eat lunch before that. Food reigns around here these days. :)

One thing that I'm most grateful for today is that I made it through the weekend without devolving into some sort of delirium. It felt tenuous at times -- but I think that was just a mental thing on my part. So... I am truly, truly thankful that my thought processes still seem to be relatively clear and intact. And I'm quite looking forward to getting back into treatment. Hopefully that will relieve any swelling that's going on in my brain and in the rest of my body (like my legs and ankles are starting to turn into tree trunks and I won't even tell you about my waist, thighs, and face!). But, really, the Lord has been so gracious and good to me! And I am truly thankful!

So -- here is some scripture that I pulled from what I read this morning:

Psalm 50:14-15

"Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory."

Lord, I am so thankful for all You have done for me. Throughout my life... but especially over the past 5 weeks. I'm not sure what I've done to deserve so many blessings from You, but I am so, so grateful! You know my situation... You know my needs... You know my desires. And You know that I count on You to rescue me. You're the only One who truly can! And -- all the glory will go... does go... to You. Don't allow me to take things for granted... or to have expectations of what You will or will not do. You are all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. And You know what is best for me. But... this isn't all about me. It's about You and what You want to accomplish -- not just in me but in everyone that I come into contact with... whether that contact is actual or "virtual". Thank You for blessing me with the opportunity to make an impact for your glory!

OK -- that's kind of an example of how I've been doing my morning prayer time. I read my scriptures for the day, pick out a verse or passage and pray with it, meditate on it, rewrite it, whatever. Just something to get it more solidly in my head. And to touch base with my Lord. Really, you've been privy to at least an adaptation of that part of my day for most of the weeks since my brain tumor diagnosis. I'm not sure how many years I've been doing this (on-and-off) -- but I do know that the years I've really made it a priority have been my best and biggest years spiritually (and otherwise, too). So why I ever lapse is a mystery to me.  

Now... 

I know that some of you are waiting for the corn casserole recipe... so here it is. I'd like to put it on a recipe card at some point and do a blog entry with that, but don't think that you really want to wait for that to happen. Who knows how long it could be!

Grandma's Company Corn

1 can cream style corn  (14.75 oz)

1 can regular corn  (15.25 oz)

1 stick butter or margarine (melted)

1 cup sour cream (I use light)

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

2 eggs

Mix all the above ingredients together & pour into a 9"x9" pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

(I usually double all ingredients and use a 9x13 pan. It'll need to bake at least 60 minutes then... maybe more.)

Who am I kidding. I ALWAYS double the ingredients and use a 9x13 pan. :) It's just too good not to! It's good fresh, it's good leftover... it's even pretty good cold. If you've never had this before, you really need to try it. And, oh... the recipe isn't really from my grandma. That is what was written on the paper when the recipe was given to me. And, since I liked the cozy sound of it... well, I kept it. Why not?

 

Moving on to today's card...

In recent years I've been leaving some kind of treat for the weekday school teachers on the first two days of school. Baking just seemed a little overwhelming this year so I went with the standard apple for a teacher thing. It's healthier anyway. :) 

Ken bought the apples and took them up to school for me.

Impressively arranged, aren't they? Yep. He's an impressive guy. :)

SHOW

And here's a look at the inside. Usuallly I'm not much for cutesy little abbreviations, but "UR" seemed to work best... so "UR" it became.

 

 

 

 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Tag-its #6); cheap clearance aisle notecard; ink is Stampin' Up (Real Red, Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight) and PTI (True Black); also used SU's Stampin' Write markers (More Mustard, Always Artichoke).

That's about it for now. My stamping friends will be interested to know that my Papertrey Ink order arrived today... five stamp sets (well, two are minis... but still, five total!) Pretty exciting stuff. :) Now to discipline myself to finish up my current projects before breaking them open... Well see how successful I am at that.

Thank you so, so much for stopping by and for loving me. :) I'm loving you all back!

Mixed Blessings and a Cupcake Thank You

Today is Sunday. It's August 28th. 

It's after 4:00 p.m. and I'm just now getting started on today's post. It's been busy. Church. Nap. Out to lunch and Pinkberry (photos later in the post... :)  ). Nap. Watch Britt & Kenneth open a few wedding gifts and then say good-bye as they head back to Raleigh. Nap. Organize the cabinet full of plastic containers... not that I think it will stay organized since I'm not the one doing any of the preparing or storing of food, but it sort of made me feel better — except that it also involved a bit of hurt feelings, I'm afraid — and that is never good. What I don't understand is how someone like Ken who likes things nice and neat and tidy can just throw things into a cabinet, close the door, and be good with that. Oh, well. Not a big deal in the whole scheme of things, is it? But amazing how those little things can just gnaw away at you and become bones of contention. I think we're all good now... he left me to the plastics and took a little break away from the house. Good for us both. :)

On the medical front, today my right leg has been kind of swollen and puffy. I've said it before, I think, but every day is a new adventure.

Let's get off that subject and into some of the scripture that I read this morning.

Psalm 42:5-6a, 8, 11

"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again — my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you —

"Each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again — my Savior and my God!"

While I wouldn't really say that I've been discouraged and sad — well, I could easily go there. Especially when my right leg is swelling and I can always tell when it's getting close to time to take the steroids because I begin to feel a little anxious, my face starts to tingle, and also feel like my skin is not quite right. Weird, huh? I'm sorry to be sort of graphic. My thinking is two-fold — I feel sort of compelled to keep a record of some medical stuff and I know that I'm not going to take out a pen & paper to write it down (or if I did it would be scribbled on a scrap and would quickly be lost or not dated and then become meaningless), and another reason is so that the pray-ers out there know specifically how to pray. Today's concern of mine is the swelling. I think that's part of this. But I don't like it much.

But, back to not being discouraged and sad... how can I be discouraged and sad when this is true?:  "Each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me" (Psalm 42:8) That is so true. I'll get into talking about my day later, but God has certainly poured out His unfailing love upon me. I mean... we had wonderful family time today... worshiping together and having a chance to go out to eat (like normal people!)... how great is that?!?

"...and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life" (Psalm 42:8) I've been sleeping pretty well lately, but on the nights that have been tough the Lord has been with me every step of the way — and it's especially evident when I put my music on and let the iPod just fill the night with my favorite praise and worship songs. I have definitely not been forgotten by God — and having the music going soothes in a way that will not happen for me if I'm just laying in the dark waiting for morning to come. It focuses me on my Lord and turns any fearful thoughts to praises of my Savior, who will meet ALL my needs. And for that I'm so, so grateful!

 

I mentioned that Britt & Kenneth have been here. And that was a great reason to go out to eat for Sunday lunch — so, of course, we headed to one of my favorite places... Big Daddy's Burger Bar. :)

Where we ordered fried pickles (delicious with ranch dressing) to share.

 

 

And where I got my favorite "Frenchie" — a ground turkey burger on a bun with apple, brie, bacon, and the usual onion, tomato, lettuce (no pickle for me... I like 'em fried, but that's about it...). Oh, and sweet potato fries with chipotle dressing. Yum, yum! Usually I eat half the burger, half the fries, and take the rest home. Um... steroids play with your appetite. I didn't eat every bite, but I sure did come close. And it was delicious.

There we all are. My hair definitely needs work. They won't let me cut it because the mask that I wear during radiation has been made to fit with my hair. But they say that some of my hair will fall out, so I don't really understand that. Fortunately, I guess, I'm not much of a hair-focused person. Although, looking at this picture, maybe I should try a little harder. :)

After lunch, Kenneth & Britt went to exchange a wedding gift and Ken & I went to (drumroll.....) ... Pinkberry! (Of course. We were practically in their neighborhood. :) ) 

This time I got chocolate and peanut butter frozen yogurt swirled and topped with some chunky peanut butter topping and little crunchy chocolatey round things (I'm sure they have a real name...). Oh, yes... it was quite tasty!

And then Britt & Kenneth opened a couple wedding gifts — one was from us.

We have always been the Thanksgiving house, but we figure that one of these days we'll be passing that duty on to them. And when that time comes they'll need a platter. And now they will have one. :)

So — the newlyweds went back to Raleigh this afternoon and Ken & I are on our own again. And that's a good thing... both for them and for us. 

 

Moving on now... you may know that I've been a pretty much five day a week fixture at Curves for quite a few years now. And the other day I showed you the card that I took to Curves to thank all my workout buddies for their kind thoughts, cards, and prayers. However, I did need to take one more card there, too. 

SHOW

I know that it seems crazy to be sending a cupcake card to one of my Curves workout buddies... but you really have to know me and Sara Gwynn. We talk sweets while we're exercising our bodies. I know — seems counterproductive. But we all have our vices, right?

When Sara Gwynn found out about what was going on with me... well, she knew just what to do. Feed the soul with sugar! :) Yep. She's my kinda gal! And that deserved her very own thank you card. 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Create a Cupcake, Delicate Doilies, Silhouette Sentiments); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White) and SU (So Saffron); ink is SU (Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip); also used SU punches (Cupcake, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Decorative Label).

My thank you card giving has been — and will probably continue to be — extremely haphazard. I've kept terrible records — and there is a long, long,       l-o-n-g (mental) list of people that I'd like to get cards to. Guess I'll just do the best I can... and hope that everyone knows how grateful we are — whether they receive a thank you note or not.

And now, thank you for stopping by here and visiting with me a for a bit. Our time together is precious to me! I plan to be back again tomorrow. Hope to see you then! 

Dilled Macaroni-Chicken Salad

Today was our monthly stamp club meeting. This month we met at the home of our Stampin' Up demonstrator, Judy, had a potluck lunch, and swapped recipe cards. My time to prepare was short, so I took the easy route — both with my recipe card and with my food.

SHOW

I used my standard recipe card fonts (that I copied from Michelle Wooderson, if I remember right). The handwritten looking one is from Creating Keepsakes — you can download it here (CK Becky). The other one that looks like a typewriter was on my computer... maybe it's on yours, too — Arabic Typesetting. As I do for my stamp club projects, on the back I stamped a partial image, initialed, and dated it.

And here is a picture of the salad.

It's really not much to look at, but it sure is tasty. At least, we in the Hayes house like it. In case you're wondering, I doubled the recipe — although I wouldn't have needed to. With all those leftovers, it did make dinner tonight pretty easy, though. :)

AND TELL:  stamp is from Stampin' Up (Silhouette Sentiments); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White) and SU (Kiwi Kiss); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); button is PTI (Blueberry Sky); baker's twine is from The Twinery (Lemondrop); also used a SU marker (Basic Black) and a Creative Memories corner rounder.

There were just five of us at stamp club today, but that didn't prevent us from eating a lot and having a great time. Only Judy and I had our recipe cards finished. Here's hers:

And here is the food the others brought:

So yummy. We never talk about what we will be bringing in advance and it always turns out perfectly.

We also got our new Stampin' Up catalogs today... so that was exciting. I have plenty of things to do, but I may just have to make a little time to sit with that catalog tonight. :)

I sure hope you have a great evening. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to see you again very soon!